[Did I rewatch Gentleman Prefer Blondes recently? Yes. Blame Ryan “Ken” Gosling.]
Last year I made the decision to step back from a lot of the volunteer work I’d been doing throughout the industry.
I know for a lot of people this decision probably felt drastic. And strange.
But, after a quarter of scaling back on anything that wasn’t a professional necessity, I can honestly say I still feel great about the decision.
For the first 10 years of my career, I’ve said yes to most of the volunteer media opportunities that have come my way. And, understandably so. These opportunities are critical to establishing yourself in any industry. But, last year I found myself in a place where I’d become burned out and disillusioned with the state of journalism. I needed to take a step back. Recenter. Remember why I do this work and what my professional priorities are. I’m still working through this. And, I don’t know when I’ll get back into the full swing of things again. (Especially as the journalism industry continues to go through a period of instability, which has led to fewer opportunities at unusually low rates.)
One thing I know for certain is I don’t feel obligated to say yes to everything anymore.
Q1 Reflections
Earlier this year, I talked a bit about some changes I was implementing both personally and professionally with the hopes of having a more productive year. Now that we’re officially in Q2 (HOW??), I thought it would be interesting to reflect on the first quarter of this year.
The importance of a Sunday reset
I already knew this, but this quarter has confirmed for me that my weeks go smoother when I set myself up for success on Sundays. If I can start off Monday with a clean home, a rough work plan/to-do list for each day of the following week and a fridge full of prepped meals, I don’t spend the week trying to play catch up.
I spend a lot of time prepping for the week ahead on Sunday so I can essentially go on autopilot for everything that is not work-related for the remainder of the week. If the kale and veggies are already cleaned and chopped, I’m more likely to make a quick salad for lunch. And, if all I have to do is warm up a meal, at least through Wednesday, I’m much more likely to have conscious, healthy meals. If this doesn’t get done, DoorDash will be ordered regularly.
Still trying to nail down the ideal morning and evening routine
One of the things I have not mastered is my sleep routine so that will be my focus for the forthcoming quarter. In general, I’m still struggling to get everything done and feel like I’ve had time for myself before shutting off all of my electronic devices at night so that I can get a good night’s rest and wake up early the next morning.
Carving out time to enjoy art
The above is related to this because I stayed up way past my bedtime earlier this week because I wanted to watch The Holdovers (currently streaming on Peacock). Reclaiming my passions is a timely endeavor, it seems.
My workouts have been inconsistent at best.
Not to put myself on blast here but my Oura ring sent me my stats for the past quarter earlier this week and my activity score was…it was well below 50 percent. Yikes! I’ve been better at working out a couple of times most weeks, but I do have to work towards being more consistent and upping my workouts to 3-4 times every week.
Also, a walking pad just climbed further up my shopping list…
Current Favs.
Willow - Symptom of Life
This song came out about two weeks ago and has not left my mind since.
Beyoncé - Daughter
My deepest apologies to my boyfriend and dog, Eleanor Rigby Wicker, because I will sing this several times per day until I nail (very subjective) this rendition of Caro Mio Ben. Related reading: Beyoncé and the Chicks’ audacious CMAs set, and the volatile reaction offstage, as told by its background performers.
Ariana Grande - Eternal Sunshine
The bridge of this song makes me absolutely feral. (Related: Thank God we’ve brought bridges back.)
Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show [Max]
Jerrod Carmichael is a glutton for self-inflicted pain, much like I was during my 20s dating era. Bless him. And let him serve as a lesson that if a man (A FRIEND!) brushes off your advances the first time, you simply must move on and pretend it never happened.
Medgar & Merlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America [Mariner Books] by Joy Ann Reid
Earlier this year, I stumbled upon a clip of Joy Ann Reid talking about her new book and reading an excerpt from one of its chapters. I immediately ran to audible and downloaded the audiobook version. (Reid takes on the task of reading the book, just as she did the excerpt on MSNBC.) I was very much familiar with the story of Medgar Evers, but I really enjoyed reading about his relationship with his wife, Merlie. In the book, Reid asserts that Merlie was the first of the famed Civil Rights widows because she lost her husband before Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. were killed. As such, she had no blueprint on how to minimize her rage or cement her husband’s legacy.
YSL Corner
Jurors were out for spring break this week, but here is a recap of major news from the YSL trial since the last newsletter issue:
A woman was arrested after prosecutors said she failed to appear as a witness. She previously told prosecutor Adrian Love that she felt the state was harassing her and it made her want to harm herself.
The woman, identified as A. Bennett, testified last week that she does not recall telling police that Young Thug (who was apparently friends with the father of her children) and Walter “DK” Murphy robbed her back in 2013.
But, the testimony led to some concerning allegations against the state. During cross examinations from Thug’s attorney Keith Adams, Bennett said that an investigator for the district attorney’s office sexually harassed her. She said whenever he would contact her, he would make attempts to date her. In one instance, Bennett said Hamilton wanted to meet her alone. She didn’t feel comfortable so she took her 20-year-old son. According to her, Hamilton expressed a desire to take her out when the case was over.
A few motions were heard this week while the jurors are out for spring break:
The biggest news to come out of motions hearings is that the state still has 153 witnesses planned. They hope to complete their case within the next six months. This is of note because that would mean that they’ve taken a year to present their case against YSL. (And that’s ASSUMING it only takes six months (based on the ongoing delays in this trial and the fact that we only heard from 3 witnesses in the month of March, two of which are continuing into April, I’m very skeptical.) The defense would still have to present their cases, making it highly likely this trial will extend into 2025, nearly three years after the initial indictment/arrests. I live tweeted some of the remedies the judge proposed this week to keep the trial moving forward.
Judge Glanville upheld his prior ruling that lyrics can be admitted conditionally in this case, as long as the proper foundation is laid for them.
The judge also denied a motion from Thug’s attorney Brian Steel seeking to disqualify assistant district attorney Love.
Very smart to do week-ahead prep on Sunday. And, to step back from volunteer professional work. There's no percentage in doing work for such groups when you feel like it's making little if any difference. It feels futile, sometimes, when you read about the latest round of layoffs. I'm not imying that's how you feel, just putting some thoughts out there.